Sulky sod-cutter



(No Model.)

F. A. BLANGHARD.

. V sULKY son GUTTER. No. 274,706. Patented Mar. 27,1883.

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I UNITED. STATES PATENT O FICE.

I FRANK BLANOHARD, or corms, LOUISIANA.

SULKY SOD-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 274,706, dated March 27, 1883.

Application filed August 28, 1882.

a citizen of the United States, residing at tile, in the parish of Rapides and State of Louisiana, have invented a new and useful Sulky SodGutter, of which the following is a specification.

Heretofore the first plowing or breaking up of grass-land, and especiallyof tough prairieland, has been so diflicult an operation that it has seldom been well and satisfactorily don'e. On such fields, newly-plowed sods completely turned over are the exception, while sods halfturned, sods on edge, and sods fallen back,

grass up, in the furrow are the general rule. To prepare grass-ground for plowing so as to obviate these objections, and to cut up old stalks and vines lying on the ground, that they may be more readily turned under and rotted, is the object of this invention; and it consists in a sulky sod-cutter providedwith a series of rotary colters or cutters arranged independently in a line beneath. the main axle of the vehicle, on a swinging frame provided with a diagonal lever and a double pawl, so that they may be set to penetrate the ground to any desired depth; or they may be raised above the ground to pass over obstacles, to turn corners, or travel from place to place, as will be hereinafter fully described and set forth, refrevolving upon individual axles I in the bifurcated arms J, which are secured individually to the frame F by usual means, such as bolts i and straps or staple-bolts.

K is a hand-lever secured to frame F, for

raising and lowering the frame to pass the colters over obstacles, 860.

L is a latch'pivoted on said lever, provided with a series of notches at each end. At the (No model.)

rear end said notches engage the pin a, and at its forward end the pin 43. By means of this latch and the notches therein the colter'frame F is suspended at any angle to give the colters the penetration desired, or to keep them above the ground. a u are chains suspended from the sulky-frame D, and attached at their lower ends to the colter-frame F, to offer rigid resistance to said colter-frame being drawn too far back when working to the full depth of the colt ers. The latch L is operated by means of a hand-lever, M, pivotedto the main hand-lever K, and a rigid connecting-rod, N. By means of this latch-lever M and the rigid rod N, either end of the latch may be operated to engage or disengage its respective pin.

In service the hand-leverKwill be thrown forward and the proper notch of latch L dropped over pin 1' to give the colters the desired penetration into the ground. To accomplish this in very tough soil, provision has been made to adjust the arms J vertically on the frame F, so that the frame may be let back until held by the chains u. These chains are adjusted to become taut when the colters are vertically beneath the axle A,-so that the whole weight of the sulky may be brought to bear in very hard work. This sod-cutter is designed to be used not only for cutting sods one or both ways across, previous to plowing, to assist in breaking up and pulverizing the sod, but also as a weed, stubble, vine, and stalk cutter. The colters revolving in the soil have a tendency to become sharp, and therefore will, by said rolling action, readily cut vines and stalks. This sod-cutter may also be used with great benefit upon thin, poor grass-land to loosen the soil and excite the roots to put out new fibers. It isso great ahelp to the plow in properly cultivating sod-land that the cost of running it is amply'repaid in the diminished power and time required to do the plowing after its use, aside from the fact of far superior work done thereby.

I am aware that revolving colters have been used in various ways and for similar purposes,

and I do not claim them, broadly; but

What I claim, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is

1.. In a sulky sod-cutter constructed substantially as herein described, the frame F,

hinged to the axleA, to swing beneath the same,

a series of cutters or colters, H, each provided with a separate adjustable hanger, J, in combination with the brace-chains u and lifting-bar 5 K, substantially as and for the purpose speci- 2. The combination, with the sulky, swinging frame, and rotary colters described, of the hand-lever K, secured to said swinging frame,

:0 the latch L, provided with notches c at each end, and the stop-pins a t in the sulky-frame, as shown and described.

3. The combination, with the sulky, the swinging frame, the series of rotary colters thereon, the hand-lever and double latch de- 15 scribed, of the rigid connecting-rod N and hand-lever M, pivoted to the lever K, whereby the latch L may be hooked or unhooked at either end, as shown and described.

FRANK A; BLANOHARD. 

